Sydney posted a new record of Covid-19 infections Tuesday (Aug 10) as the city struggles to control an outbreak that is sending other Australian regions into lockdown.
New South Wales state announced 356 new cases, a fresh record for a Delta-variant outbreak that began in mid-June and continues to grow in a population with low vaccination rates.
More than five million people in Sydney, Australia's biggest city, are now in their seventh week of lockdown as the cluster hit 5,805 cases with 32 deaths to date.
"Our strategy is to get to as close to zero as we can... but regrettably we have seen those numbers increase in the last few days," state premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
The coastal town of Byron Bay became the latest put under stay-at-home orders – joining regional centres such as Newcastle and Tamworth – with a snap seven-day lockdown announced late Monday after an infected person travelled there from Sydney.
Meanwhile, another five million residents of Melbourne are in their sixth pandemic lockdown after a fresh cluster emerged in the city last week.
(Compiled)
